Senior HUD official named FHFA deputy director

WASHINGTON — Adolfo Marzol, a senior official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, has been named the principal deputy director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Marzol, who has served as the senior adviser for housing to HUD Secretary Ben Carson for two years, will report to Mark Calabria — the newly sworn-in director of the FHFA — effective this week.

Marzol previously worked in the private sector at Essent Guaranty and Essent Group. He also held several positions at Fannie Mae from 1996 to 2006, including executive vice president of finance and credit, senior vice president of corporate strategy and competitive analysis, and interim chief risk officer.

“I am very pleased that Adolfo will be joining FHFA in such an important capacity,” said Calabria, who took the helm of the agency on Monday. “His depth and breadth of experience in both the private sector and government will help us maintain FHFA as a world-class regulator.”

Marzol is one of Calabria’s first hires as FHFA director.

While at HUD, Marzol was a key voice in advocating for technology upgrades at the Federal Housing Administration, which he called “a critical element” of housing finance reform.

He has also previously spoken about the shortage of housing supply, which several experts have attributed to soaring home prices and a lack of affordable housing.

“I think if we don’t get some additional supply response, we’re going to continue to be in a situation in which the market is tight and home prices are expensive and renting is not super affordable either,” Marzol said at an American Action Forum event in June.